ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Delhi [India], July 20: For generations, choosing an undergraduate degree meant selecting a single discipline and building a career around it. Today, that approach is rapidly changing. As industries become increasingly interconnected, employers are seeking graduates who can think beyond traditional academic boundaries, combine knowledge from multiple fields, and adapt to emerging challenges.
From artificial intelligence and biotechnology to sustainability and data analytics, many of the careers shaping the future no longer fit neatly within one subject. This evolution is encouraging universities to rethink how undergraduate education is designed, moving away from rigid academic structures towards flexible, interdisciplinary learning that allows students to develop both specialised expertise and broader perspectives.
The careers emerging today rarely belong to a single discipline. Whether it is economics with data analytics, environmental studies with economics, or management with sustainability, graduates with expertise across complementary disciplines are better equipped to address evolving industry and societal needs. This interdisciplinary approach develops the knowledge, adaptability, and problem-solving skills increasingly expected across industry, research, and the public sector.
Recognising these changing expectations, TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS), a UGC-recognised Deemed-to-be University established by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), is reimagining undergraduate education through interdisciplinary learning, flexible academic pathways, and a research-led approach to teaching. Building on TERI's internationally recognised legacy in sustainability research and policy, the university prepares students to understand and address real-world challenges across science, business, technology, public policy, and the environment.
Academic Flexibility for Modern Careers
One of the defining features of this new approach to undergraduate education is the flexibility it offers students to shape their academic journey. Through a Major and Minor structure, students can combine complementary disciplines to build a stronger and more relevant academic profile.
Imagine a student pursuing a Major in Economics while choosing a Minor in Data Science. Alongside developing a strong understanding of economic theory and policy, they also gain analytical and computational skills that are increasingly valued across finance, consulting, government, and research.
At TERI SAS, this interdisciplinary approach is embedded across undergraduate programmes, enabling students to personalise their learning while connecting knowledge across disciplines to suit their interests and career aspirations.
Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) enables students to graduate with an Honours or Honours with a Research degree. Selected programmes also offer an integrated Master's pathway, creating a seamless progression for students wishing to pursue higher studies.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Beyond the curriculum, TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) provides a research-oriented learning environment where science, business, technology, economics, and sustainability intersect. Students engage with contemporary challenges while developing critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills that are valued across professions.
Learning also extends beyond academics through student-led clubs and campus activities that encourage leadership, teamwork, and personal development, helping students build skills and experiences outside the classroom.
Located in the heart of New Delhi, at Vasant Kunj, the university offers access to government institutions, research organisations, and industry, creating opportunities that complement classroom learning. For students relocating from other cities, TERI SAS also offers on-campus hostel facilities for girls, providing a supportive residential environment as they pursue their academic journey.
Building on TERI's recognised legacy in sustainability research and policy, TERI SAS connects classroom learning with real-world challenges, preparing graduates for careers in industry, research, public policy and higher education through a multidisciplinary perspective.
"The future of undergraduate education lies in preparing students to think beyond disciplinary boundaries. As industries evolve and societal challenges become more interconnected, universities must create opportunities for students to combine knowledge, engage with research, and develop the confidence to understand and solve real-world problems. At TERI SAS, our Four-Year Undergraduate Programmes, with options for Honours and Honours with Research, encourage students to build strong disciplinary foundations while exploring ideas across fields through interdisciplinary learning and research."
- Prof. Suman Kumar Dhar, Vice-Chancellor, TERI SAS
Choosing the Right Undergraduate Journey
Choosing an undergraduate programme today is about more than selecting a subject. It is about choosing a university that encourages curiosity, academic exploration, and lifelong learning.
With interdisciplinary pathways, research opportunities, and a future-focused curriculum, TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) reflects a new vision of undergraduate education. It offers students the opportunity to build an education that matches their interests, supports their ambitions, and prepares them to contribute meaningfully in an increasingly interconnected world.
To learn more about undergraduate programmes, academic pathways, and admissions, visit www.terisas.ac.in.
TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) is a UGC-recognised Deemed-to-be University established by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), one of India's leading research institutions in sustainability research and education. Located in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, near the Aravalli Biodiversity Park, TERI SAS offers research-driven undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes across Sustainability, Energy, Data Science, Economics, Biotechnology, Climate Science, Geoinformatics, Public Policy, Renewable Energy, Management, Law, Sustainable Development, and Environmental Studies.
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This World Environment Day, the new Environment Minister in the Modi government is faced with a host of challenges.
Says E Somanathan, Professor, Economics and Planning Unit, Indian Statistical Institute: “To curb the prevailing (environmental) issues, an independent regulatory body should be constituted.”
The recent Lok Sabha elections may not have debated environment and the looming crisis, but the challenges are there for all to see.
The fast-growing urban areas in our country are fast becoming unlivable. The unacceptably high levels of pollution in several cities, including in Delhi, shows a serious disconnect between the prevalent patterns of urbanization, consumption choices and the environmental concerns.
“We need a correct balance of ecology and economics”, says Hem Pandey, Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). He further opines, “India as a highly populated country with a growing economy and per capita income requires not just implementation of environmental policies but also require scientific and technical support.”
Somanathan informs, “Whenever we burn coal or oil that causes pollution, we have to track all the pollutants involved. The government needs to have a regulatory body to track how much damage is done by various pollutants and put a fee on them appropriately. Due to this fee, people will find those things expensive to use. A pollutant fee for coal, petrol and other pollutants will help the government mitigate the environmental problems.”
Considering the current crisis of water, he adds, “The overarching problem of water scarcity is seeping into the urban cities with the recent case of Chennai etc. The main issue of extraction of groundwater is one of the major causes which is primarily used in agriculture. To curb this, farmers should be given Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) wherein they should pay for the electricity which is currently given free of cost and further conserve water”.
Anand Sharma, Member of Rajya Sabha and Chairman of Standing Committee Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), on the other hand, says: “The prevailing gap between the poor and rich growing is one of the major causes of all these problems”.
The state of the air we breathe
Seventy cities breathe excessively polluted air irrespective of major overarching schemes of various governments. Somanathan says, “We don’t really have a policy. There is no body that is doing a comprehensive assessment of the situation. Moreover, there are various sources adding to the problem of air pollution. We don’t have a technical body comprising of scientists and economists which can assess the situation. However, we need a pollution fee for all the pollutants which will automatically direct people to use cleaner ways of doing things which will decrease the pollution levels tremendously. Pandey adds, “The biggest challenge for India today is not the policies and legal framework for the Environment Ministry but a collative measure of all the sectors where mitigation actions of the growth and development are to be met by state-of-the-art technology.”
How prepared we are as a country:
Climate change leading to more disasters including an increase in the frequency of droughts as well as floods are creating havoc not in India but in other parts of the globe as well. “We need much better planning of reservoirs, information system which should be available to the public and be transparent also. Lack in coordination between the IMD and the authorities which manage the dams and reservoirs also leads to various problems during disasters. We need people with specializations in scientific expertise.
"We need to replicate the institutional structure that is there in developed countries. We need an independent environmental agency that automatically funds and hires all the technical support in terms of manpower and other equipment independently. Currently, we lack all this in the system. Our ministry which is a political body is unsuitable for scientific and technical work. We need to separate scientific and technical decision making from political decision making," adds Somanathan.
Further, Leena Shrivastava, Vice Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies adds, "India needs to prepare a strategy for a Green Economy incorporating concepts of a resource efficient, circular economy. Environmental issues in the industry have to be mainstreamed and not considered as a separate project clearance requirement. All industry activity must be driven towards a net-zero impact outcome in a defined time-frame of five years. In essence, environmental policy should get the same importance as the fiscal policy – after all the environment is rapidly becoming one of the most scarce and endangered factors of production."
With the current state of affairs, economics and environment go hand-in-hand.
The incumbent Environment Minister clearly has his task cut out.
